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The Justin MacDonald Memorial Road Hockey Tournament will be Sept. 1 in Tillsonburg and raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, with registration ending this Saturday. The tournament is named in memorial to MacDonald who passed away Feb. 4, 2012 from type 1 juvenile diabetes.

For years, he played baseball with the Woodstock Wranglers and hockey in the Woodstock Minor Hockey system.

MacDonald continued to love both sports until he suddenly passed away Feb. 4, 2012 from complications with Type 1 diabetes at 18-years-old.

“We had seen him the day before and he was happy and seemed to be okay,” Adam Gignac, who was MacDonald’s uncle, said. “It was pretty sudden.”

MacDonald had been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was six-years-old and although he had been in the hospital in December 2011, was healthy.

It was with MacDonald’s legacy in mind that Gignac and his wife Brittani began organizing the Justin MacDonald Memorial Road Hockey Tournament Sept. 1 in Tillsonburg at Glendale High School, with registration ending this Saturday.

The tournament will have 3-on-3 road hockey games with two age divisions – under-14 and over-14, with a maximum of eight players per team. All money raised will go to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

The idea for a road hockey tournament was came into being because MacDonald, like his dad, was a lifelong Buffalo Sabres and road hockey gave everyone the opportunity to play.

“Anyone can play road hockey since you don’t have to know how to skate to play,” Gignac said.

Gignac said he hopes to make the tournament an annual event.

In addition to the games, there’ll be a barbeque and prizes in a silent auction, with the main prize being an autographed Winnipeg Jets jersey of the upcoming team, which would be given to the winner in the fall.

Gignac said if a person isn’t on a team, but would like to play, they can still sign-up and be placed with a team.

Affectionately known as Mac or Bud to family and Dougle to friends, MacDonald is remembered as happy, energetic and outgoing person.

“He was always friendly and willing to make other people happy,” Gignac said. “It wasn’t very often he was called Justin.”

Gignac remembers one time his three-year-old daughter wanted to paint her fingernails and MacDonald volunteered his first so she could practice.

“He was willing to do anything to make other people happy even though he had to go to school the next day with his fingernails painted,” Gignac said.

The tournament is a way for MacDonald, who would’ve graduated from Huron Park Secondary School last June, to continue to help others after his life was cut short.

“Justin had a cause to fight and we can still fight that cause even though he isn’t here. We can help other people with type 1 diabetes,” Gignac said. “Anything to help the cause would honour Justin or anyone who have lost their fight to diabetes.”

For more information, they can be reached at jmmemorial@hotmail.com. People are also able to donate online at jdrfca.donordrive.com.